Biobest in the Netherlands after Arend-Sosef bankruptcy

Following Arend-Sosef’s filing for bankruptcy and staff dismissal, Biobest opts for a strong direct presence in the Dutch market through the immediate creation of Biobest Nederland BV. Building on a core team of former Arend-Sosef biocontrol specialists, the company starts off with an experienced team. It offers customers direct access to top-quality products and specialist advice about integrated pest management. In this way, Biobest continues the supply of biological control and pollination solutions to Dutch growers.

In addition, Biobest decided to collaborate with Van Iperen in the area of integrated pest management. Jean-Marc Vandoorne, Biobest CEO: ”Certain customers like to purchase their biocontrol products from suppliers with whom they have a broader interaction and who offer other products such as fertilizers and plant protection products. We are therefore pleased to announce that Van Iperen BV, a renowned specialist in the Dutch horticultural market, has chosen to include Biobest products in its assortment.”

The collaboration with existing distributors will also continue: R. Van Wesemael and Agro Buren BV deal with fruit crops. CLTV Zundert caters to strawberry growers and tree nurseries in the Zundert area. Van Gent van der Meer Nuyens, previously a subdistributor of Arend-Sosef, will also continue to work with Biobest.

“Let me be crystal clear: Biobest sincerely regrets the sudden demise of Arend-Sosef”, says Jean-Marc Vandoorne. “For years we have had an excellent collaboration and people in Holland came to know us as a strong team. We want to express our gratitude to Arend-Sosef’s staff and management for this very constructive long-term collaboration. Today however, growers expect us to explain clearly and swiftly how we will ensure continuous service.”

“We received a lot of positive reactions from Dutch customers as a result of our immediate decision to ensure continuity of supply and service from Belgium” says Marc Mertens, commercial director at Biobest. “Hence our decision to proceed with the creation of Biobest Nederland BV. Many customers immediately committed to continue working with us for the long term. Biobest Nederland has a clear goal: be the supplier of choice for customers aiming to use biology as their first line of defense. We stand for the best technical advice and a broad high-quality product range. We continue to significantly invest in innovation, just like we did in 2013 with the launches of NutrimiteTM and Dyna-Mite® G-System.”

Biobest, founded in 1987, was the world’s first commercial bumblebee supplier. Today the company offers solutions for biological control and pollination to growers in the five continents.